Ayub Khan, Mohammad (1907-1974), was a Pakistani political leader. He was born on May 14, 1907, in Hazara, North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), then part of India. He studied at Aligarh Muslim University and trained at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in the United Kingdom. Ayub Khan was commissioned into the British Indian Army in 1928. During World War II (1939-1945), he saw active service in Burma (now also known as Myanmar). After India was partitioned in 1947, Ayub Khan chose to go to Pakistan. By 1951, he had become commander in chief of Pakistan’s army. With help from the United States, he built up a large army.
From 1958 to 1969, Ayub Khan served as president of Pakistan. He promoted economic development in the country. As a result of a war with India over Kashmir in 1965, he became popular. But Ayub Khan signed a peace treaty with India in 1966, which lost him much support and led to violent protests. In 1969, Ayub Khan was forced to resign. He died on April 19, 1974.
